The first NFL week of the year of our lord 2023 was avidly awaited. And it finally came and went. The Sunday Night game was over before it actually even became “night” for many viewers. Joe Burrow signed a new contract and seemingly lost all his powers. The underdog 49ers steamrolled a Steelers team that had expectations coming into the season in a game where San Francisco’s 2nd-year quarterback looked levels better than his Pittsburgh counterpart. Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Mike McDaniel went into Los Angeles with a mission and left having accomplished that mission with flying colors, with Miami’s offense looking almost unstoppable.
Losers
Joe Burrow and the Bengals Offensive Line
Joe Burrow and the Bengals went into Sunday morning off the high of Burrow’s new and lucrative extension. Aaaaaaand Burrow promptly looked like a JV quarterback thrust into a varsity game, which was very strange to see. The Bengals added Left Tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in an effort to bolster the protection around Burrow, but for most of the game, it felt like the offensive line wasn’t even there. The Bengals offense literally went nowhere. Their offensive line didn’t allow them to jumpstart their running game or give Burrow enough time to find his weapons. This combined with Burrow just looking off, led to the Browns’ defense dominating this game.
The Seahawks’ Offense
Sunday afternoon was a worrying outcome for Geno Smith and the Seahawks’ offense. They played a Rams defense that has many holes and opportunities for exploitation of that defense but just ended up looking anemic. Smith himself finished with a measly 112 yards on 26 pass attempts, which translates to just 4.3 yards per attempt. In contrast, running back Kenneth Walker averaged 5.3 yards per carry on his just 12 rush attempts. Smith and the offense struggled down the stretch of last season as well, which ended with a blowout loss to the 49ers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. They have to figure this out and fast before this season spirals out of control.
Justin Fields
Bears’ 3rd-year quarterback Justin Fields entered week one with wind in his sails and MVP predictions from many talking heads. Instead, during Week One, Fields looked exactly like the quarterback he’s always been. Mistake prone, can’t read a defense and just doesn’t have the chops to be a starting NFL quarterback. In comparison, new Packers quarterback Jordan Love looked like he was in command and looked every bit like the first-round pick he is. The Bears may have to make a decision on Fields soon, especially with such great quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Shedeur Sanders, and Quinn Ewers entering next year’s draft.
Kenny Pickett
Steelers 2nd year quarterback Kenny Pickett looked terrible on Sunday. He was indecisive and was just bad on Sunday. He didn’t know how to deal with pressure and seemingly just threw the ball away or froze and took a sack. It was rough. The former first-round pick was outplayed by Mr. Irelevant on his home turf. Pickett needs to show the Steelers something substantial the rest of this season to convince them he’s the answer because this draft is absolutely loaded at the quarterback position. Maybe the 49ers’ defense was just too dominating, but the Steelers definitely need to see something out of Pickett to be convinced.
The Giants Offensive Line
Daniel Jones’ life on Sunday night was not one I imagine a lot of people would like to live. It included running for his life most of the night because his offensive line thought they didn’t have to block the guys in white. It was sad, seeing Jones in the situations he was thrust into for most of the game and it caused his performance to drop drastically. Evan Neal has solidified himself as one of the worst tackles in football, and the Giants better hope he gets better and quick because Jones may not be on the field any longer if he has to take so many of these hits every single time that he’s out there.
Robert Saleh
Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh knew they were running out of time. Saleh especially. They had built up one of the best rosters in football… other than the quarterback. Zach Wilson in his first 2 seasons was absolutely terrible and was even benched twice last year. So they made the all-in move to acquire future Hall of Famer Quarterback, NFL MVP, and Super Bowl champion, Aaron Rodgers. That lasted exactly 4 plays before Rodgers limped off the field with a fully torn Achilles tendon. This season may have been Saleh’s last chance to prove himself to the Jets’ brass, and if he has to go with another season with Zach Wilson? He may be back to being a defensive coordinator sooner than he may have expected.
Winners
Jared Goff
Jared Goff looked good on Thursday night. Goff showed off a lot of areas in his game in which he has improved during his time in Detriot. On the Rams, Goff definitely had an easier time in Sean McVay’s offense, but he wasn’t really a good quarterback, just a system quarterback. In Detriot, without McVay, he has taken his play to a whole new level. He is now a playmaker with the football and can get away from pressure. He’s able to stand tall in the pocket under pressure and deliver accurate footballs to open receivers. These are things he wasn’t good at in LA. His pocket movement and footwork might be one of the best in the entire league. Goff has the ability to take this Lions team far.
Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagoviloa
When the Miami Dolphins hired a little-known offensive coordinator from San Francisco, who no one knew what he exactly did since Kyle Shanahan is the offensive guy there, it didn’t really move a lot of people. But he brought something to QB Tua Tagoviloa that not many would’ve been able to: Confidence. McDaniel showed the ultimate confidence in Tua, and even brought him Tyreek Hill to throw to. This allowed the 4th year quarterback to improve in each of the 2 seasons he’s been with McDaniel, and evolve into one of the better quarterbacks in the league. He just needs to stay healthy and remember that sometimes the only thing we need in life is someone to believe in us.
The Dallas Cowboys Defense
The Dallas Defense didn’t good great. They didn’t look amazing. They didn’t look elite. They looked STIFLING. They looked DOMINATING. They looked UNBEATABLE. Relentless pressure from their front 7, led by Micah Parsons. The secondary is looking like one of the best in the league, due to the cornerback tandem of Trevon Diggs and new addition Stephon Gilmore. If the Cowboys keep this up, they don’t even need Dak Prescott and the offense to be good. Their defense can just carry this team into a prime position to win it all.
Brandon Aiyuk
49ers’ 4th year receiver Brandon Aiyuk put on a show Sunday in Pittsburgh. Playing in an offense that includes George Kittle and Deebo Samuel as pass catching options, Aiyuk has somehow transcended them to become Brock Purdy’s favorite target. The Purdy-Aiyuk connection was on full display on Sunday, and the 2 showed amazing levels of chemistry. Aiyuk has seemingly taken his game to a while new level, and is primed for a huge extension in the off-season. It’s possible that the 49ers won’t have the ability to pay him at market rate, but Aiyuk will for sure get paid like a top receiver if he keeps this up.
Jordan Love
Jordan Love looked really good on his 2023 season debut in his first season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. He was poised, didn’t make any terrible mistakes, and made players with his overflowing arm talent. Love looked much better than his Chicago counterpart, Justin Fields, who looked like the exact opposite of Love. Love seems like he is on the fast track to be Aaron Rodgers’ successor as Green Bay’s quarterback and looked the part on Sunday. Let’s see how this season unfolds, but a very impressive season debut from Love who wants to be Green Bay’s franchise quarterback going forward in the post-Rodgers era.
